Lignite-burning furnace.



LIGNITE BURNING FURZMXGE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG 7, 1907.

Patented July 16, 1912.

Jar/ms H 5x000.

UNITED 4 STATE PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. GROVE, 0F OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR, BY HE SNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 AMERICAN ARCH COMPANY,'OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORCPOBATION OF NEW YORK.

LIGklITE-BUBNING FURNACE.

Patented July 16, 1912.

Application filed August 7, 1907. Serial No. 887,442.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. GROVE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Omaha, Douglas county, Nebraska, have im'ented certain new and useful Improvements in Lignite-Burning Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same. My invention relates to improvements in boiler furnaces and has special reference to improvements in locomotive boiler furnaces. The draft in a locomotive boiler furnace is induced by a blower or exhaust nozzle in the front-end or smokebox of the boiler,

' and is so forcible that unless special care is used in firing the furnace the burning fuel is lifted off the grate. Hollow arches of the so-called Wade & Nicholson type, by intro-v ducing air into the fire box above the burning fuel lessen the velocity of the currents in the firebox, and with ordinary fuels prevent the carrying over of cinders and ashes into the lines. The \Vade & Nicholson hollow. arches, when used, markedly improve the performance of locomotive boilers, but

even these arches do not enable the use of such fuels as lignite, though they go far toward'doing so, as the peculiar manner of introducing air into the'firebox tends to suppress the rise of the fuel, ashes and cinders from the grate. There are large sections of this country in which lignite is the only fuel that is locally obtainable in sufficientabundance to supply the railroads, and theproblem of providing furnaces in which it may be used involves questions and considerations of great importance. Many inventors and engineers have applied themselves to the problem, but. up to this time no successful lignite burning furnace has been devised. I have succeeded in solving this problem in a very simplemanner, and this present invention has reference to such improvements.

My invention consists generally in a loco motive boiler furnace comprising a firebox having a flue sheet at one end and a fuel door at the opposite end, in combination with an inclined arch of refractory material, arranged in the front part of the fire box, and a second arch, or battle, also of refractory material, depending from the top of the firebox, back of the front arch. A

and in practical use has proven of great value and efficiency.

My invention Wlll be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a locomotive furnace embodying my invention; and, Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof. In the drawings I have illustrated'a locomotive boiler furnace embodying the invention, the firebox being of a so-called narrow type.

2 represents the shell of the boiler; 3 the fines, 4 the flue sheet; 5 the rear sheet of the firebox; G the door-opening; 7 the fuel door which closes the opening; 8, 8, the side sheets; 9, the crown sheet; and 10 the grate. In the front part of the firebox, extending rearwardly from the flue sheet, 4, is the inclined \Vade & Nicholson hollow arch, A.

The air is supplied to the ducts, A, through a vertical duct A, which opens through the grate. The arch is built up of refractor bricks, and the air passing therethrough 1s heated to a high temperature. Upon emerging from the ducts, A, the hotair, under high velocity strikes the refractory deflectors, A an is thereby thrown or deflected downward'toward the grate'and toward the rear. end of the firebox. B is a second arch which extends downwardly from the crown sheet, 9, of the fire box. This arch, as well shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, is arranged back of the arch, A,

I with its lower edge substantially on a level with the top thereof. The arch, B, is preferably supported on studs, 13', which pro ject from the side streets of the furnace. The arch B maybe 7 of any suit-- able number of refractory bricks and I prcfer to notch or scall the edges of the bricks which contact s and crown sheets to permit flow of furnace gases upon said sheets and equalize the temperature thereof. The I I arch, B, preferably occupies a and is preferably somewl'mtfrom the tear sheet of the firebox the rear end of the front arch. The opening, (3,. be-

I of the furnace.

tween the two arches is termed the throat The space D below and behind the arches is called the fire chamber bustion chamber, E.' In Fig. 2 burning fuelis shown upon the grate. The action of the exhaust nozz le at the front-end of the flues creates a partial vacuum in" the firebox;

I 'hencea'ir rises through the fuel in suifici'ent quantity to support combustion, and air also enters throught-h'e hollow arch x, by which latter the heated air'isthrowfidown' ward toward or upon'the burning fuel.

It will-be noted that the "hot air frcimthq arch,-A, is projected .substaiitially'f across and beneath the throat, dais city is such as to'turn or deflect/the rlsi'ng from the fuel downward and toward the rear end of the firebox, there thecurrents of gas and air rise behind the depending arch, B," and-to escape"*th1oughthe throat C mustpassdowfiward beneath. said arch.

B. The first' e'ifect net-ea is that thejlight j 4 fuel particles and gases from the fuel instead' of being pefmitted-"to rise directly to or less extent precipitated toward the fuel, theforce 10f the stream s"ofair the archQ A, "ccliibining "th th wacuunt above j'thfe' 'fufl, clue to 'itl n airtlirou l ing "to si itipifessdhe' 1" e p the particle"" and ci'ndei s; ,Thejsecdnd' effect which 'is'freadily' fobser 'ble,; is the (better fixture therewith chi The third due to that ougl of air fronif'th'e and important effectiof my arch or fui'nace con' striictionis that l the "paitib'les and .cintlers' which are" carried up'ibv thecurrents 1A, v r :JJi

of air and'gas are thrown agam tthe rear side'of the 'vef'tical Bianddosiri'g their "velocity .fall toward "or upon the" grate,

Their escape into ft-hecombustion chamber and into" he'fiues of the 'boiler i's thus prevented. 9

The good" ffects of thdarches are not restricted to fthe suppression of the carrying jover ofjth e cinders and as'hes', but include v the complete breaking of the curre'nt's' or strata bf bur'nedifalid bu mg gaseS gi ing time forthei'r thorough: ln'iixtui e' with air and consequent consumption of [the light combustiblesfl and: particles "of carbon given up bythe mass of lignite on the gr-are, 1 As shown ,in; Fig." 2,]: prefer f the vertical or crownfsheet"arch, B ,i shall be near 'ithe. r

Y grate and provided with a flue sheetat one endan'd a fuel door at the opposite end, in

v. .fli 32 B would be deposited or the taper the arch front" arch, A, but sho' es particle's A, defeating one of the distinct objects of the invention, by increasing rather than diminishing the clogging of the boiler fines with ashes and cinders. v

A-further and distinct advantage of my invention follows upon the restriction of the throat, C, of the furnace to a eompa-rati'vely small size through the employment of the vertical arch without covering up the crown sheet of the boiler. It will be noted thatonly the upper edge of the crown arch claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A lignite burning locomotive boiler furnace comprising, a firebox having a grate and provided with a flue sheet at one end and a fuel door at the opposite end, in combination with aninclined hollow front arch of refractory material through which air is introduced and deflected downwardly,

and a second arch or battle, also of refractory material, depending from the top of arch, substantially as described.

'2. A lignite burning locomotive boiler the firebox above and back of said front furnace comprising a firebox having a grate and provided with a flue sheetat its front 'end and a fuel door at its rear end,.

said door normally preventing the entranceof air at. said rear end, in combination with a hollow fr'ont arch arranged to project hot air downwardly and toward the rear end of the firebox, and a second arch or battle extending downwardly from the crown sheet 'and'from' sideto side of the firebox, back of said; front arch, substantially. as described. v

3. A lignite burning locomotive boiler comprising a firebox having a grate and provided withflues at its front end and a normally closed fuel door at its rear'end, in

combination with a front arch of refractory 7 material arranged to project hot air downwardly and toward the'rear endof the firebox and a second or top arch also composed of refractory material, depending from the crown sheet of the firebox at a point back of said front arch, there being a throat or I opening between said arches, substantially as and forthe purpose specified. v

4:. A" locomotive boiler firebox havlng a combination 'withan arch composed of reand upwardly from said flue sheet, said arch containing air heating passages and having at its upper end a deflector arranged to project the heated air downwardly toward the rear end of the firebox, acrown arch supported between the sides of the firebox and extending from the top of the illGl'lOX downwardly to substantially the level of the top of the front-arch, said crown arch being arranged between the In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 25 day of July, 190T, in 15 the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I JAMES H. GROVE. lVitnesses:

- CHAS. C. Lacy,

C. L. HEMPEL. 

